Hanging Coffins & Graveyard Gallops | 4M #97
Welcome to the ninety-seventh edition of Morticians’ Monday Morning Mashup, 4M #97, where we’ll serve up bite-sized, easily-digestible nuggets of the deathcare news you need to crush conversations in the week ahead. Bon appetit!
This newsletter is powered by MemoryShare, a funeral livestreaming platform that you can set up in 30 seconds or less.
It’s not exactly David Letterman’s Top 10
Online newsletter The Travel recently published several deathcare-related “Top 10” lists — and only one of them is a list on which you’d want to be included. The authors recently selected the “creepiest,” “strangest,” “most bizarre,” and, last but not least, “most beautiful” cemeteries in the world. Since we have lots to share in today’s 4M, here are the top three in each category:
10 Beautiful Cemeteries That Defy All Logic When It Comes To Scenery
- Staglieno Cemetery, Italy
- Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón, Cuba
- Mount Auburn Cemetery, Massachusetts, USA (Yay, USA!)
The 10 Most Bizarre Cemeteries In The World You Need To See To Believe
- Pere Lachaise, France
- Burial Spirit Houses, Alaska
- Hanging Coffins of Sagada, Philippines
10 Of The Creepiest Cemeteries Around The World
- The New Lucky Restaurant, India
- Bachelor’s Grove, Chicago, USA
- Valley of the Kings, Egypt
10 Of The Strangest Cemeteries In The World
- Greyfriars Kirkyard, Scotland
- Pere Lachaise Cemetery, France
- Plot E In The Oise Aisne American Cemetery, France
Contrary Contreras
A Texas city council member has come under fire for threatening a woman who used his family’s water hose and sprinkler to tend to gravesites near his own plots. Although the incident took place in 2022, law enforcement only recently released body cam footage, and city folks are not happy about what they saw. In the video, councilman Santos Contreras says the disagreement escalated to the point where the woman threatened to knock over Contreras’ family gravestone, and admits he replied that he’d kill her if she did so.
Speaking of escalations …
Two people in Arkansas have been sentenced to 88 and 95 years in prison, respectively, for kidnapping, assault, and robbery — and it all started with an argument over a missing set of cremains. In 2021, a Malvern woman and her boyfriend visited the home of a friend who was believed to have in her possession cremated remains that belonged to the woman. The two assaulted the friend, put a gun in her mouth and asked her if she was “ready to die,” then bound her to look through the residence for the ashes. They stole jewelry and other items and put the woman in their car, eventually releasing her, but not returning her stolen jewelry. Inquiring minds want to know: Did they ever find the cremains?
There’s a fine line
Lately, we’ve discussed a wide variety of ways cemeterians are sharing their properties with their communities, and most of their ideas have been well received. However, one town is divided over a proposed event — one that seems rather benign, but has faced opposition, and was ultimately canceled. The 5K and 10K portions of the Jim Beavers Memorial Graveyard Gallop were supposed to begin and end in the cemetery, with a one-mile race taking place completely inside the cemetery grounds. Critics claimed that holding the run in the cemetery was inappropriate stating they “just don’t feel it’s right” because “they got family out here,” and that it’s “almost like interrupting a church service.” Some even threatened to sell their plots in the cemetery. What do you think? Are cemeteries too sacred to host non-death-related activities?
Say goodbye to Facebook
If you’re using Facebook for live streaming, does this sound familiar?
- Copyrighted music is silenced (even with proper certifications!)
- Advertisements out of your control pop up during the livestream
- It’s difficult for families to access because it requires a Facebook account
This is why Carlton Stevens Jr., Operations Manager and Mortician at Stevens Funeral Home in North Carolina, said goodbye to Facebook and switched to MemoryShare—a live streaming platform built specifically for funeral professionals.
“Now, families don’t have to worry about Facebook accounts. It works, and it’s easy to use,” Carlton said. “It’s the best, I’m telling you. It’s liquid gold.”
After he started offering live streaming during the pandemic, Carlton saw Stevens Funeral Home call volume bump from 20 calls to 41 calls.
Today, Stevens Funeral Home live streams a service every other day.
And with MemoryShare, all they have to do is push a button.
“It’s a no brainer,” Carlton said.
Read how Carlton is using livestreaming to grow his business in our latest case study—click here to read it!
